Chapter 158: The Yorozuya: A Camp of Eccentrics

The Odd Jobs Agency looked quite dilapidated from the outside, covered in dense, intertwined vines, but its interior was surprisingly spacious and bright, clearly not a natural formation. The stairs and architecture were uniformly wooden, and various flowers and plants were scattered everywhere, emitting a pleasant fragrance. Soon, a commotion came from a half-open door, accompanied by an enticing aroma of roasted meat.

“Ale, ale, quickly, bring the ale! I want it chilled!”

“Drinking in the morning is forbidden!” A cold voice followed, accompanied by a sharp scream, and then a burst of hearty laughter erupted, seemingly very cheerful.

Little Weil followed Senior Knight Jasmine into the dining hall. A ripple passed over him from the doorway, and the Odd Jobs Agency badge on his chest lit up. Indeed, there was something to it; this Odd Jobs Agency truly had mechanisms everywhere.

The dining hall wasn’t very large, with only seven or eight tables, each capable of seating five or six people, yet there were fewer than ten people inside. In the nearby kitchen, a large fatman was wielding a foot-long cleaver, chopping meat with a rhythmic “thud,” and with one hand on the grill, he was actually able to emit heat to cook the meat. Another bloodline awakener!

“Yo, Boss, good morning!” A disheveled, bearded man lying on the floor sprang up, hastily adjusting his pajamas. That’s right, this guy actually came to the dining hall in his pajamas, his face greasy, clearly having not washed it after waking up, heading straight for the dining hall.

“You have five minutes to wash your face and tidy yourself, otherwise, breakfast is canceled!” Senior Knight Jasmine commanded. The scruffy man shot out like an arrow-struck rabbit, heading straight for the door. As he brushed past Little Weil, he didn’t forget to pat his shoulder. Little Weil subtly shifted to avoid his greasy hand and casually slipped a small mouse back into his pocket.

Every time, this guy carried a snow-white mouse with him. This little mouse was cleaner than him. Just as they brushed past, the white mouse jumped out of his pocket, silently trying to burrow into Little Weil’s clothes, but he pinched its neck and put it back.

“This kid is a new Level 1 Agent, codenamed ‘Scholar,’ an Elf bloodline awakener, a Intermediate Knight, proficient in ancient languages, skilled in appraisal, and his innate ability is ‘Mana Shaping.’ By the way, this kid is knowledgeable and can offer advice on most general problems. If you have any issues you can’t solve, directly asking him might be useful,” Senior Knight Jasmine revealed Little Weil’s background. “However, this kid is usually quite busy and might not spend every day here. In fact, he might only go on missions when needed and generally won’t be here.”

“That scruffy man who just left is codenamed ‘Beast Tamer,’ a former circus animal trainer. He awakened the ‘Spirit Speaker’ bloodline, allowing him to communicate with animals. He likes white mice and parrots, and due to his profession, he also enjoys performing, often doing circus acts alone with his small animals in his room,” Senior Knight Jasmine said, a hint of exasperation in her voice. “This guy’s strength is average, only at the level of a Novice Warrior; he’s more suited for investigative work.”

“Yo, welcome, newcomer! I’m Meat Mountain, the cook here. Everyone here has certain rules; get used to calling each other by their codenames to avoid accidentally blurting out real names during missions. Of course, you can also call me Uncle Cook,” the big fatman, who could indeed be described as a ‘Meat Mountain,’ introduced himself while quickly plating roasted meat. “Uncle here is in his early fifties, a professional chef, part-time knight, Advanced Knight level, skilled in cooking. His bloodline is a bit peculiar; it’s more like an ability awakening. His flame ability cannot be released externally but can be attached to magical runic weapons. That’s how it is.

This little guy doesn’t look big, but he managed to dodge the Beast Tamer’s dirty hand and his little white mouse. Not bad, not bad. You know, that scruffy guy, for all his other faults, is definitely nimble-handed.”

“Two large portions of roasted meat, two portions of meat soup, a portion of toasted bread, and a fruit salad. What else do you want?” Senior Knight Jasmine casually ordered his main course.

Little Weil glanced around casually, then ordered a portion of toasted bread. He then picked up his food and followed Jasmine to an empty table, sitting down. “It’s too troublesome to introduce everyone one by one. We’ll say hello when there’s a mission or when we meet during leisure time. Most of them are a bunch of eccentrics anyway.”

“Hey, hey, hey, Boss, saying that about us will hurt our feelings, you know. I’m an eighteen-year-old beautiful girl, how could I be an eccentric? This little brother looks delicious. Would you like to have an impromptu romance with your big sister?” A blonde beauty with a well-proportioned, curvaceous figure, long flowing hair, and dressed in a sexy leopard-print leather skirt, winked at Little Weil.

“This woman is called ‘Stray Cat,’ a Catgirl bloodline awakener, a Novice Warrior, skilled in information gathering, tracking, and infiltration. Oh, and she’s also quite good at stealing. You have a lot of good things on you, so be careful not to let her get her hands on them,” Jasmine glanced at the flamboyantly dressed girl, yet her assessment was quite good.

“Boss, you’re going too far! My name is Little Kitten, ‘Stray Cat’ is too ugly!” The Catgirl licked her lips, brought a piece of roasted meat to her mouth, and suddenly opened her mouth wide, tearing off a third of it in one bite.

“You can just call her Catgirl. This little one used to be a stray. She’s used to hard times and learns etiquette and combat very quickly, but at the dinner table, she reverts to her true nature,” Jasmine was also quite helpless. There were really very few normal people in the Odd Jobs Agency.

“Miss Catgirl looks adorable even when she eats,” a lovesick voice chimed in. It was a handsome young man in his early twenties, carrying a longsword, which was understandable, but why did he also have a harp on his back?

Jasmine noticed Little Weil’s gaze and continued introducing him: “Lovesick, calls himself ‘Singer,’ an Intermediate Swordsman-Warrior, awakened the Iron-Eating Beast bloodline, a former bard. Specialties: combat, music. Talent: Steel Body. Although a bit lovesick, his combat ability is average, but he’s thick-skinned and tough, barely counting as a decent tank.”

The Singer saw Little Weil noticing him and smiled, showing his teeth. “My love for beautiful women is a virtue I can never change. Being a bard is a profession I will strive for my entire life. If you have the chance, you can watch my performance; it definitely won’t disappoint you.”

“I’ll definitely have to see it sometime,” Little Weil politely responded. An Intermediate Warrior’s strength was a bit lacking, but his innate ability was quite good.

“Your fruit salad.” A cold, silver-haired beauty in a black and white maid outfit delivered a fruit salad to Jasmine. “‘Ice Cube,’ forever an eighteen-year-old girl, an Ice Snow Fairy bloodline awakener, a Level 1 Bloodline Sorcerer. Talent: Ice Bloodline Magic. She is the most powerful person present and our Odd Jobs Agency’s ace.”

As if thinking of something, Senior Knight Jasmine sighed softly, “She’s strong, yes, but her personality is a bit cold, and she also has a big weakness: she’s a terrible navigator.”

Little Weil’s face darkened as he listened to these introductions: Rat Man (Beast Tamer), Violent Fire-Wielding Cook (Meat Mountain), Thief (Catgirl), Lovesick (Singer). He finally saw someone beautiful and strong, but she turned out to be a silent, expressionless, directionally challenged person. Adding in a black merchant who liked to sell fake goods, was there really no normal person in the Odd Jobs Agency?

“Thump-thump-thump” footsteps sounded. Little Weil looked back to see a small loli, about eight or nine years old, wearing pink bear pajamas and clutching a small teddy bear, walking into the dining hall with sleepy eyes.

Oh, an exquisite loli. This one seems more normal.

With a “bang!” the Beast Tamer, who had rushed back from outside, crashed into the little loli, then stumbled and almost fell. The dazed little loli was unharmed and seemed to feel nothing much, swaying as she walked to the kitchen door.

“Yo, Little Luo, good morning! A large roasted meat set, right?” Cook Meat Mountain, accustomed to this, picked up a large plate with twice as much roasted meat as he had given Senior Knight Jasmine, plus a large portion of meat soup and three pieces of toasted bread.

The little loli gently gripped one side of the tray with one hand, her sleepy eyes scanning around, then slowly walked to Jasmine and sat down. Jasmine, quite helplessly, took a towel from the nearby sink and simply wiped her hands and face.

“Little Luo, full name ‘Super Strength Luo.’ This codename was chosen after consultation with most members. She’s ten years old, awakened the Elf Druid bloodline, has a bear soul fusion, and can transform. Before transformation, her physical attributes are basically on par with a high-level Novice Knight. After transformation, her speed and strength increase significantly, almost comparable to an Advanced Warrior.” Senior Knight Jasmine then recounted Little Weil’s identity to her. The little loli tilted her head, looked at Little Weil, picked up a piece of bread as if to offer it to him, then thought for a moment, tore off half, and placed the remaining half on Weil’s plate.

“Oh~~, Super Strength Luo actually shared her food with someone else! A miracle!”

“Did Super Strength Luo take the wrong medicine today? No, no, should I say she forgot to take her medicine today?”

“No, no, it means Super Strength Luo has grown up too and started learning to pursue cute little brothers, especially such a handsome one.”

“No~, this must be a fake Super Strength Luo. Yes, it must be! Tell me, who are you? Where did you hide our cool, cute, brutal, and merciless silent Super Strength Luo?” The Singer, courting death, ran over to Super Strength Luo and tugged at her delicate little cheek.

“Bang!” The little loli’s fist shot out, directly sending the seven-foot-tall adult male Singer flying five or six meters away.

“Indeed, this is the Super Strength Luo we know,” everyone said, watching the Singer, who had courted death, struggle to get up for a long time, then nodded and quieted down.

“Bear, likes you, has a, close feeling,” the little loli spoke very slowly, in halting sentences, as if organizing her words.

Little Weil’s mouth twitched slightly. Super Strength Luo, Odd Jobs Agency eccentric +1.